Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-12-30
GARDEN VALLEY.


Idaho in the spring, and wish to find
out all | can about it. Can yon tell
me anything about Garden Valley?
Whether there is government land in
1t to locate twenty or thirty families?
" hat kind of soil, climate, &c. How
watered. How far from railroad and
navigation; also please tell me, if
you can, something of the mill prop
erty OF Mr.. s. X. Goldtrap, in said
valley. | contemplate purchasing
and wish to know something of its
surroundings. By answering the
above you will greatly oblige
Yours, &C.,
ALoNzo L. D'SpAIy.
There is but little, if any govern
ment land in Lower Garden Valley.
lhls valley is about six miles long by
two or two and half miles wide. and
most of it under cultivation. Upper
Garden Valley, which is simply an
extension of what is known as the
Lower Valley, but on another stream,
is seven or eight miles in length and
mile or more in width. Three or
four miles in length Of the upper end
of this valley is unsettled and unsur-
veyed, and is timber land, the timber
yellow pine. This is as good ag
rlcultural land as any in either valley.
Garden Valley is the most beautiful
and picturesque spot in Idaho, and
the charming picture the valley and
surroundings present to the view is
SIMPLY unsurpassable, and if we
should attempt to portray the entranc-
ing beauty of the scene, true to ma
ture, our descriptive faculty would
fail to do it justice. 1t would require
a writer with better descriptive tai
ent than the editor of the WORLD
possesses to give a word picture that
would portray the scenic features of
this section in all their details and
true to their beauty and grandeur
Garden Valley is a veritable Gem
of the mountains" And this is not
all. The valley is completely SUR
rounded by high mountains, and is
sheltered. Altitude of valley, about
1000 feet. The mercury very seldom
goes below zero. The soil is rich,
and probably unsurpassed by that Of
any other section of Idaho Crops
have never failed SINCE its settlement,
about twenty years ago. Garden
Valley is we'll adapted to the raising
of hay and grain and all kinds of veg
etables, and of late years it has been
sufficiently demonstrated, we think,
to prove beyond doubt that G. V.
is the most favored spot in the West
for fruit growing. One farmer, Abe
Beard, has quite an orchard, and sue
cessfully grows all kinds of fruit, and
the best favored of any that have
ever been brought to this market.
One or two others, we are informed,
have out few fruit trees, but now
that the experiment has been made
others will soon turn their attention
to fruit growing. This season the
fruit crop was total failure in almost
every section of Idaho something,
however, that is not common IN this
territory, but Mr. Boards trees were
loaded, even to his peach trees. Gar
den Valley is also the champion spot
for delicious strawberries, etc. The
distance from railroad-at Boise City
the capital of the Territory-is about
sixty miles. Too far from navigation
to talk about. The lower valley is
watered by the South Fork of the
Payette river, and the Upper by the
, Middle Fork, both good sized streams
their mountain waters cold and clear
, as crystal. Both abound with fish, OF
many kinds, such as trout of four va
rieties, including the salmon trout
whltefish, etc. The South Fork is
the fsherman's delight. The noun
tains surrounding the valley abound
with game, large and small. The
. large game are deer, bear and elk
and not many miles from the valley
= mountain goats and sheep, but these
: animals are not plentiful. Deer ano
. elk winter near the valley, and wher
: the SHOWS in the high mountains Sc
: in they come down by the hundreds
e The climate of Garden Valley is de
: Eohtful in the summer, the heat new
n er being oppressive as IN places no
: 50 favored by nature-cold mountain
S streams and high, timbered noun
: talns making the climate delightful
one. The air is pure and healthtul